


i will tell the night

by pensiveVisionary (hamburr)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Communication, Emetophobia, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Lack of Communication, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-03 16:31:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8720815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamburr/pseuds/pensiveVisionary
Summary: “Come cuddle,” says Eliza, holding her arm out for Alexander. He looks… hesitant, and he sits down stiffly next to Eliza, not getting under the covers or into her arms.
Eliza and Aaron look at each other.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron says.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [and i will tell the night, whisper, "lose your sight," but i can't move the mountains for you.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=275a5trC0Vk)

Eliza peeks out from under the covers when Aaron gets in bed. He pulls her into his arms, and she rests her cheek against his.

“I need to shave,” Aaron says.

“Yeah you do, you’re all scratchy! If you’re not careful, you’ll get as scruffy as our boy,” Eliza teases, and Aaron laughs. He rubs his cheek against Eliza’s, causing her to shriek with laughter and shove at his shoulder. He kisses her cheek, to make up for the scratchiness, and she drops a light kiss on his lips.

They settle, after that, Eliza’s head on Aaron’s shoulder. “I hope he comes home soon,” she says.

“Me too,” Aaron says, idly running his fingers through Eliza’s hair. She closes her eyes and sighs, and it’s just as she’s starting to feel like she could fall asleep like this that the bedroom door swings open and in comes Alexander, looking even more rumpled than usual. His hair is falling out of his ponytail, and he looks harried, like he ran back to the apartment.

“Come cuddle,” says Eliza, holding her arm out for Alexander. He looks… hesitant, and he sits down stiffly next to Eliza, not getting under the covers or into the cuddle.

Eliza and Aaron look at each other.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron says.

“Jefferson and Madison figured it out,” Alex says. “I don’t know how, it’s not like we act overtly romantically affectionate in public, and everyone thinks you two are the ones who are together anyway -- I’m worried it’s that picture that someone took of the three of us riding the subway the other day --”

“She was laughing and leaning close to you and holding my hand, that’s hardly incriminating,” Aaron puts in.

“Okay, but, rumors only grow. Besides --”

“Wait,” says Eliza, “what did you say to them? I’m assuming they confronted you.”

“They did, I told them they were wrong but I don’t think they believed me and… you guys, this could ruin my whole career.”

Aaron and Eliza both look at Alexander.

“Alex,” Aaron starts, but Alexander cuts him off.

“I don’t know what to do, I could lose everything I’ve worked for --”

Eliza feels herself freeze, and she hears herself say, “So you’d throw this away instead?”

“Eliza, you have to understand --”

“Understand what, exactly?" Aaron says, cutting in. "We all have steady jobs, and we can support ourselves if something terrible happens. Which it won’t. We can figure it out,” Aaron squeezes Eliza’s hand.

Alexander looks like he’s been cornered, and Eliza hesitates for a moment, then speaks.

“Alexander,” she says softly. “I don’t want you to feel trapped. If you really think it would be best for you to leave, then I won’t stop you.”

“I --” says Alexander. “I’m going to sleep on the couch. I have a lot to think about.”

As soon as he is out of the room, Eliza collapses into Aaron’s arms and cries. Aaron holds her against his chest, stroking her hair and whispering soft, empty words of comfort. She doesn’t know if he’s crying, but she thinks she hears him sniffle, right before she falls asleep.

 

Once Aaron is sure Eliza is asleep, he carefully disentangles himself from her, slips out of bed. He glances in the mirror before he goes down the hall, making sure the tears that escaped him left no evidence, and goes out to the living room.

“Alexander,” Aaron says, and Alexander startles, turns to look at Aaron with wide eyes. He had just been sitting on the couch, and he looks anxious as Aaron takes a seat on the opposite edge of the couch. He pulls his feet up onto the couch with him and wraps his arms around his knees.

“I told you I needed time to think,” Alexander says, in a shaky sort of voice.

“Yes, well, I’m here to keep you from coming to any stupid conclusions. We’ve been together for nearly four years, Alexander.”

“I know! I know. But I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid. I can’t just -- give it up.”

“You don’t have to. You can have both. You don’t have to leave us for your job. I love you, and Eliza loves you. Whatever we need to do to stay together, we can do it. Two of us could publicly announce a relationship, then just ignore anything anyone accuses us of. If we don’t explicitly confirm anything, they don’t have anything. And if it did come out, look, we’re all successful. We’ve all got plenty going for us, and think of the other people in relationships like ours that would be able to see us happy together. No matter what we do, we’ll work it out. We can, Alexander.”

“I love you guys too. I’m just --”

They both freeze when they hear Eliza call, “Aaron?” in near-panic.

“I’m out here,” Aaron calls back, and Eliza appears looking terribly, terribly frightened -- eyes wide, hands twisted together, hair rumpled.

“Are you leaving too?” she asks in a very small voice.

“What -- oh, Eliza, no, no, I’m not going anywhere,” Aaron says, and holds out his arms for her. She carefully, carefully, sits beside him, tucks herself into his arms. Aaron can feel her shaking. He knows a panic attack when he sees one, and he holds her close, hoping his presence will help steady her.

“I woke up and you were _gone_ , I can’t lose both of you, I can’t,” she says, and she looks at Alex when she says this, and some resolve in Alexander seems to crumble. He moves across the couch to be on her other side, to hug her and kiss the top of her head. Aaron thinks she is crying again.

“I’m sorry,” he says, “I’m sorry, I’m just so scared --”

“So am I,” says Eliza, and it comes out forcefully. “I -- I was waiting to tell you, tell both of you, until it was a good time but it’s not a good time and maybe it never will be but I’m pregnant and I don’t want to do this alone, I don’t -- I’m so scared.”

“Eliza,” says Alexander. His voice breaks.

“But if you can’t stay -- if it’s not worth it to you, if your priorities lie elsewhere and you’re not going to be happy staying with us -- then you’ll need to figure that out soon, because I am not raising a child with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. I’m just not.”

“Okay,” says Alexander, and, “okay,” and, “fuck,” and, “I’m so sorry,” and, “I’m so stupid, I don’t want to lose you, I _love_ you.”

Aaron pushes his face against the back of Eliza’s shoulder, reeling a little.

“I thought you needed to think on it,” Aaron says to him, a little bitterly, his voice muffled.

“I was just brought to my senses, thank you,” Alexander says. “And I came to the conclusion that I’m a fucking dumbass for thinking I could be happy without you, without both of you. What would be the point of doing anything without having the people I love most in the world to come home to?”

Eliza gives a shuddering sigh, and Aaron feels some of her tension leave her.

“I’m so sorry,” says Alexander. “I’ll make it up to you. I swear I will. I’ll show you. I’ll show you I’m not going to leave. You’re so important to me. I’ll show you all the ways I mean it, I promise.”

“I can think of some ways you can do that,” Aaron says, and Eliza giggles, a little shaky. “Let’s go to bed, shall we?”

There is unanimous agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

They do nothing but sleep that night, holding each other close. The next night is when Alex’s promise comes to fruition -- Alex between Aaron’s legs and Eliza settled behind him, not particularly in the mood to be touched herself, but taking it upon herself to appreciate Aaron.

Eliza places a hand lightly on Aaron’s cheek and kisses him, and Aaron sighs. Alexander pulls off him, to say, “No fair, I want to kiss Aaron.” Aaron makes a frustrated sound and grabs Alex by the hair.

“No, Alex has a _job _to do,” and it comes out venomous and Alexander reels back, eyes wide, and Eliza fumbles her way between them.__

__“Whoa, whoa, hey,” she says. Aaron is panting and he is incandescent with anger and frustration, and Alexander is also breathing hard, his eyebrows knitted together. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and keeps looking at Aaron with those big dark eyes of his._ _

__She's not surprised to find Aaron is still upset. She herself is still hurt, and she knows he slept badly the previous night, keeping her awake with his constant shifting of position._ _

__“What --” says Alex. Aaron cuts him off._ _

__“How long were you thinking of leaving if we got found out? Was that your backup plan all along? Do we mean little enough to you that the tipping point for you to stay was the baby instead of, I don't know, our long-term relationship, how much we love and care for you, everything we've done together?” His voice breaks, and Eliza realizes he is, horror of horrors, crying: he is naked between the two of them, with a flagging erection, shaking all over, and he is crying. “Are you that unhappy?” Aaron whispers, and then he puts his hands over his face, like he can't bear to be seen._ _

__And Alex, Alex is on the verge of tears too. He moves cautiously, gathers up the blanket at the foot of the bed and drapes it around Aaron, preserving his modesty. Aaron flinches when the blanket touches his skin, and sits perfectly, stiffly still as Alexander adjusts it._ _

__“I’m sorry,” Alexander says, very quietly. “I’m sorry.”_ _

__Aaron makes a small choked sound, and Eliza leans against him. He presses against her, seeking warmth and stability._ _

__“I thought -- I thought it would be okay, if I made it up to you,” Alexander says._ _

__Aaron looks at him, taking his hands away from his face and clutching at the blanket instead. “It's not about the sex, Alexander. I could not fucking care less about sex. I want you, I want you to be happy, I want to know that you aren't going to run away if this gets harder, I need -- “ a choked off sob, “-- I need to know you're in this because you love us.”_ _

__“I do love you! I _do_ ,” says Alex._ _

__The anger has spilled out of Aaron; he just looks fragile now. He runs his hand over his face. “I just don’t want to be taken for granted,” he says._ _

__Alexander bites his lip. He looks between Eliza and Aaron; his expression is a little pleading when he looks at Eliza, like he’s hoping she will bail him out. She does not._ _

__“I think,” says Aaron, “maybe you were right when you said you needed some space to think about things. I didn't want to let you go, but… I think I should let you come to your own conclusion on that.”_ _

__And he turns away from Alexander. Alexander looks between them, his mouth open._ _

__“Aaron -- _Eliza_ \--”_ _

__“We aren't going to kick you out unless you want to leave. But he's right,” says Eliza. “You should come to your decision on your own, not because we're scared to lose you.”_ _

__Alexander is very quiet as he gathers his clothes and exits the bedroom. He shuts the door quietly behind him._ _

__It’s Eliza’s turn to hold Aaron as he cries, now, runs her hand over the smooth skin of his back as he sobs into her shirt. She kisses the top of his head, tells him softly how much she loves him and she's here, she's here, always._ _

__They sleep restlessly, out of balance without Alexander beside them. When they wake the next morning, Alexander looks like he barely slept, if he did at all, slouched at the kitchen table with his laptop and a mug of coffee. It is very uncomfortable, and when Eliza opens her mouth to say good morning, Alexander slams his laptop shut and leaps to his feet before she can get the words out._ _

__“Gonna shower now bye,” he says, and bolts from the room._ _

__Eliza and Aaron exchange a look of dismay._ _

__

__By the time they’ve finished breakfast, Alexander has shut himself in the office, with no sign of returning._ _

__Eliza gives a little sigh at the closed door, then looks at Aaron. “Well. Want to shower?”_ _

__“Oh, Eliza, so forward,” he teases, and she kisses him lightly. He puts his hand on the small of her back, pulls away and smiles at her._ _

__“C’mon,” she says, and he goes obediently._ _

__

__He is sweet with her -- he is always sweet with her, undresses her carefully and kisses her lips, the side of her neck, her collarbone._ _

__“You’re so beautiful,” he says, cupping her face in his hands, and she reaches up to kiss him. They stay together, just holding each other, for a long moment, until Aaron finally steps away to turn on the shower and fuss over the temperature._ _

__They kiss for a while, sweet and just for the sake of it under the warm water. Aaron’s lips are soft, pliant against hers, letting her take what she wants, what she needs, and giving back in equal measure. They keep that up until Eliza draws back and Aaron kneels in front of her, looks up at her reverently. He kisses the curve of her stomach, lightly, gently._ _

__“How long did you know?” he asks her._ _

__“Only about a week. I wanted to, I don’t know, have a nice date night and tell you, I was imagining all of these great ideas and then -- well. That happened.” She sighs._ _

__“I think you’ll be the best parent in the world,” Aaron says._ _

__“I think you’ll be pretty great, yourself,” she says, cupping his chin in her hand and tilting his head up so she can look at him. The hesitant smile on his face means the world to her. “Oh, Aaron. I love you.”_ _

__“I love you too,” he says, and rests his cheek against her thigh. “Do you want anything?”_ _

__“No, I’m all right,” she says, and pauses to appraise him. With a little smile, she adds, “though I could give you a hand, if you’d like.”_ _

__“Elizabeth Schuyler, did you just make a pun?” There is laughter in his eyes._ _

__She just smiles and pulls him to his feet._ _

__

__After, once they’re clean and dry and clothed, they bring Eliza’s favorite fluffy blanket out to the living room and curl up together, turn on the TV to have some background noise. Aaron absentmindedly braids little sections of her hair, to have something to do with his hands, and Eliza relaxes into his touch. Aaron is gentle; grown out of an unsure and lonely and anxious young man, he has blossomed into someone charming and sweet and even genuine, if only at home with his partners. He closes off in public, camouflaging as someone serious and stoic and unopinionated, but alone, he will do just about anything to make Eliza smile._ _

__Alexander has always been the outwardly passionate one -- he feels everything so deeply, so strongly; he’s impulsive and hotheaded and never changes for anyone. No matter what he does, he does it out of conviction that he is in the right, and he’s hurt people because of it. Hurt himself because of it. This has not been the first conflict in their relationship, but it has been the worst. It’s never come so close to ending before. Eliza isn’t sure what to do, and she’s scared._ _

__Eliza has always felt like the middle ground between them, and she feels off-center without Alexander on her other side, without him playfully nudging her until she reacts or bickering with Aaron or covering the two of them in kisses until they’re all laughing. She loves them both, and she has faith that she and Aaron would be able to make it work if Alexander left, but --_ _

__She doesn’t want him to go._ _

__But he doesn’t come out of his office all day. She and Aaron talk about anything but the absence of Alexander, the gaping hole where he should be, where he should be talking and laughing and being radiant. They fell asleep pressed close together, needing the comfort of another now more than ever._ _

__

__“What are we going to do?” Eliza asks in the morning, when there is no sign of Alexander intending to emerge._ _

__“I don’t know,” says Aaron, who keeps looking at the closed door. “I wish I did. He just has to decide to stay on his own, I guess.”_ _

__Eliza sighs and rests her head against Aaron’s shoulder. He holds her close._ _

__

__They make it through half of Sunday without seeing Alexander until Eliza stands up with a huff. Aaron looks at her in confusion._ _

__“I don’t know if he’s eaten or slept at all and I would rather not have him collapse again.” Aaron looks at her for a moment longer, and then he follows her to the kitchen._ _

__When Eliza opens the office door, Alexander looks at her with wide eyes, looking completely taken off-guard._ _

__“I brought you food,” she says, and enters the room, sets the plate down on the desk in front of him. He looks absolutely terrible, his hair scraped up into a messy bun, dark shadows under his eyes, wearing what is likely the same exact outfit as the last time she saw him._ _

__“Oh,” he says, and he looks at the plate like he can’t comprehend it, then back at Eliza with the same expression. “Why?”_ _

__Eliza’s heart sinks. “Have you eaten anything since you locked yourself in here?”_ _

__Alexander thinks for a moment. Shakes his head._ _

__“Oh, Alex,” she says. “Come out here and have lunch with us, okay?”_ _

__Alexander looks hesitant, but Eliza offers him her hand and he stands. He pauses for a moment, blinks a few times. At Eliza’s concerned look, he says, “Sorry. Stood up too fast.”_ _

__Frustration and concern battle within Eliza; frustration at him, frustration at herself and Aaron for not stepping in sooner because they know how he gets, when he gets caught up in his head and doesn’t sleep and doesn’t eat, frustration at him again because he can’t seem to help it, frustration at herself for getting frustrated at him when she knows he can’t help it --_ _

__She squeezes Alexander’s hand, then lets go, and they relocate to the kitchen. Aaron is at the table already, reading a book and ignoring his lunch in favor of a surely compelling plot. He looks up when he hears them come in, nods absentmindedly, goes back to his book. Eliza is grateful for the lack of fanfare, and lunch proceeds in silence._ _

__Alexander gets up first, but Aaron catches him by the hand without even looking up from his book. Alexander freezes, then slowly sits back down, and once he’s back in the chair, Aaron lets go and puts his book down, neatly sliding the bookmark between the pages. He looks at Alexander, steady and calm, and says, “So where are you at?”_ _

__“What?”_ _

__“In your decision-making. Your thought process. Whatever you’d like to call it. What conclusion have you come to so far?”_ _

__“Oh.”_ _

__“I mean, if you don’t have an answer yet you don’t have an answer, but you’ve spent a long time thinking, and I feel like much longer and it will just be prolonging the inevitable.”_ _

__It’s moments like this when Eliza wonders what Aaron looks like in court, if he can seem so cool and analytical even with matters that affect him deeply and personally. He is studying Alexander, and the contrast between them is marked, with Aaron’s perfect posture and that neatness that he carries with him, how he seems completely in control of every movement he makes. Eliza knows him well enough by now to know that this is not his natural state, that he has worked hard to perfect this facade, this barrier between himself and anyone who could hurt him. On the other hand, Alexander is slouched at the table; even now he is constantly moving, drumming his fingers or tapping his foot or picking at his cuticles. His hair is escaping from its bun, he has dark circles under his eyes and acne on his face and he’s wearing his glasses and one of Aaron’s Princeton shirts and he’s so beautiful it almost hurts to look at him. They’re both so beautiful, in entirely different ways, and it tears Eliza apart to imagine losing one of them._ _

__“I don’t want to go,” Alexander says, and it’s soft and it’s raw and he looks right at Aaron when he says it. “I really don’t want to go.” He takes a shaky breath. “But do you still want me?”_ _

__“Of course,” Aaron says, gently, at the same time as Eliza whispers, “yes.”_ _

__Something seems to shatter within Alex and now he’s crying, reaching for Aaron, who is closer to him, and Aaron gathers him into his arms, whispering, “shh, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’re all here together. We’re gonna fix it. Shh, oh, love, I’ve got you. I’ve got you, and so does Liza, she’s right here.” Eliza scoots her chair over so she can get in on this too, running her hand over Alexander’s back. Alex shivers and fumbles for her hand, squeezing it tightly when he finds it. ”It’s gonna be okay now. We’ve got you. None of us have to go anywhere, okay? Never.”_ _

__“I was just so -- so _scared_ , and I didn’t know -- and I felt like I was cornered and I didn’t know what was _safe_ and I know what I did wasn’t the right thing but I thought maybe it was and I just want you guys to be okay but I don’t want to lose you, I can’t lose you, please don’t _go_ \--”_ _

__“I’m staying right here with you, okay?” Eliza says, brushing stray strands of hair out of his face._ _

__“Me too,” echoes Aaron. Alex takes a deep breath, sighs a shuddering sigh, and Eliza sees some of his tension leave him.._ _

__“Can we -- can we move somewhere else? I’m, uh. Falling out of my chair,” says Alex, with a shaky little laugh. Aaron kisses the top of Alex’s head, lingering with his eyes closed for a moment, and Eliza can see in that moment just how deeply relieved Aaron is to have Alexander back. When he opens his eyes, he makes eye contact with her, and her face must say everything she’s feeling, because Aaron shifts like he’s going to get up and Alex immediately turns to latch onto Eliza. She sees Aaron smile before she mirrors the exact gesture Aaron had made, kissing the top of Alexander’s head and holding him, close and careful. He’s warm and solid and familiar and she never wants to let him go._ _

__Alexander sleeps between the two of them that night._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i still have more in this universe written so.... this might be like an on the backburner sort of fic, but expect an update eventually!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise another update (im tidying up my wips)
> 
> just a little chapter but. much fluffier than previous

Eliza wakes them both up abruptly by practically flinging herself out of bed in the morning. Both alarmed and concerned, Alexander and Aaron get up to see if she’s okay. When Aaron realizes -- she is kneeling on the floor hunched over the toilet -- he stumbles back a step and then bolts across the apartment, ends up in the far corner of the kitchen, the farthest away he can get.

He doesn’t mean to, he doesn’t mean to stand there in the corner with his hands over his ears and his eyes squeezed shut, panicking, and he is nothing but the gasping of his breath until Alexander’s voice slips into his awareness.

“Aaron?” It is probably not the first time that Alexander has said his name. “Aaron -- hey, oh, hey, there you go,” Alexander says, as Aaron brings himself back to earth. “She’s okay, it’s just -- uh, morning sickness stuff. She’s gonna stay home today though, I might stay with her, just to make sure she’s okay?”

Aaron nods vaguely.

“Are you okay?”

“Sure. Yeah,” says Aaron, tries a smile. Judging by Alexander’s expression, it is not convincing. “Y’know. That sort of thing just… yeah. Freaks me out.” An understatement.

“What do you need?” Alexander asks, reaching for Aaron’s hand, and Aaron holds on for dear life. “Do you need to be out of the space or do you need to stay in too?”

“I think -- I mean, I don’t want to just leave if she -- if you both need --”

“It’s okay if you need to go out for a while.”

Aaron nods, takes a deep breath, tries to unscramble his brain. “Okay. Okay. I’m going to get ready and go to work then.”

Alexander squeezes his hand. “Okay. Try not to worry too much, all right? We’ll keep you updated if anything changes. Do you need me to do anything for you?”

Aaron feels horrible for it, but he asks Alexander to grab his clothes and his toothbrush and the other things he needs from that end of the apartment, completely unable to convince his legs to take him over there, even though he knows full well that this sort of illness isn’t contagious, he just -- he can’t.

There is no judgment in Alexander’s expression, though, and he returns quickly with Aaron’s things.

“I’ll keep you posted, I promise.” He pauses, looking serious. “And really, don’t -- don’t worry about not being able to be around. It’s -- a phobia, yeah?” Aaron nods; he feels pathetic for being immobilized by fear for something as simple as -- “That’s okay, hey, listen, that’s totally valid. I’ll take care of everything, and she’s going to be just fine, and you’re going to be just fine, and we will figure out how to handle this. I promise. Okay?”

“Okay,” Aaron whispers, and Alexander pulls him into a tight hug.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

Alexander looks a little shy when he returns to Eliza, carrying something small in his hand. He holds it out to her; it’s a bath bomb, one of the ones that turns into vibrant sunset colors in the water. His very favorite kind. Aaron got him a bunch of them for Alexander’s birthday, obviously enamored with the way Alexander went all calm and quiet watching the colors bloom.

Eliza accepts it, looking up at him. She measures the pros and cons of her next statement, but she doesn’t want to be alone, and so: “You can stay,” she says, very quietly.

Alexander’s lips part in a silent ‘oh,’ and he whispers, “Okay.” She doesn’t let him undress her, but lets him fuss with the bath.

The colors blossom, red orange pink and shimmering gold, but soon mix into pink. The water is warm and the room smells like flowers and it’s okay, it’s more okay now.

Alexander washes her hair for her; he kneels beside the tub and Eliza sits with her back to him.

“How are you feeling?” Alexander asks, rinsing her hair, careful not to let the water run into her eyes.

“Improved,” she says.

“Good. That’s good. Is this… is this the first time that’s happened?”

Eliza nods.

“How far along are you, d’you know?”

“A month or so. Well, probably more like two, now? I didn’t know for that long, though, only about a week.”

“I was gonna say, you can’t really tell. Which one of us do you think…?”

Eliza laughs a little. “I don’t have a clue. I’m sure it won’t be difficult to figure out, in the end, though.” She turns to give Alexander a little smile, and he gives her an almost embarrassingly vulnerable smile back.

She turns so she can face him, reaches for his hand and takes it in both of hers. “I love you and I just... want you to know how grateful and happy I am to have you here, because you love us and you want this of your own volition, instead of being afraid to repeat the mistakes of people who came before you.”

“I’m terrified,” Alexander whispers.

“I know,” says Eliza, just as softly. “So am I. But -- I know you. You’re strong, and you’re kind, and when bad things happen, when you make mistakes, you learn from them. We’re not going to be perfect, of course we’re not, but… I couldn’t ask for better partners.”

“I want -- I want you, Eliza, I want you and I want Aaron and I want to have a family and I -- it’s so scary and I just fucked up really bad and I took you all for granted and yes, okay, I know now, I know, I wouldn’t be anywhere near as happy without you, without both of you, not even a little, it’s not worth it without someone to come home to, and I don’t know how you’re able to forgive me so easily and just -- move on. I don’t know how to move on.”

Eliza leans forward and hugs him, and neither of them care that she’s dripping wet. Alexander is crying, just a little. Oh, this emotional man. Eliza clutches at his shirt and holds on, keeps him there.

“I know,” she says. “I know. But -- you made your choice; you chose to stay, and that’s all I ask. All I want to know is that your choice is to be here with us, to make it work no matter how hard it gets.”

“I never want to leave,” Alexander says. “Never. I’m here. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then, whatever happens, we’re going to figure it out. I believe in us.”

“Me too,” Alexander whispers, and Eliza hugs him more tightly.

 

Aaron comes home to find them asleep in bed together, curled up. He taps on the door of the bedroom, and Alexander blinks awake. He gives Aaron a sleepy smile, and Aaron smiles back, a little reserved, cautious.

“How is everything?” Aaron whispers. Alexander gives a thumbs up, and Aaron visibly relaxes and walks into the room.

Aaron turns away to unbutton his shirt, change out of his work pants, and when he turns back around, Alexander is half-sitting, absently running his fingers through Eliza’s hair. Aaron catches his eye, and he waves Aaron over. Aaron cautiously sits on the edge of the bed. Eliza opens one eye, sees Aaron and pats his arm affectionately, then closes her eye again.

When Aaron gets in bed with the two of them, he’s never felt more at home.

**Author's Note:**

> (what is alex's job anyway?) (also suddenly i love aaron/eliza. they're so sweet)
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at waitforit--waitforit & as always comments and kudos clear my skin, water my crops, cure my depression, etc


End file.
